The Not Ready for Prime Time Project: An SNL Retrospective

Robert Klein returns to SNL to host one of the most unique and memorable episodes in the show's history. There is A LOT going on in this one...recurring characters (a lot of 'em), classic sketches, iconic characters introduced, a runner that has to go down as one of the greatest of all time, and for the second week in a row the host just can't help themselves from joining in with th...

SNL kicks off 1978 with Steve Martin returning for his second (but not last) episode of Season 3 along with not one but two musical guests. Four musical numbers, and a film by Gary Weis, do not leave much time for sketches but Steve and The Not Ready for Prime Time Players make the most of their time with the return of some classic characters and the (re)introduction of one of the most iconic char...

Miskel Spillman , the 80 yr. old winner of the "Anyone Can Host" contest, take the reins of Season 3's Christmas show.  Not to worry, friend of show Buck Henry is also on hand to keep things on track. All things must come to end as we get the last Mr. Mike's Least-Loved Bedtime Story as well as the final appearance of a certain Weekend Update correspondent (sort of). But, this...

Fresh off her Emmy win (and Grammy nomination), Mary Kay Place brings the "pep" as she hosts SNL w/ musical guest, Willie Nelson .  Does the pedigree and hype live up to the performance?  For either? Even Andy Kaufman returns to help the cause - and he brings his bongos! Can some reoccurring characters and a classic Gilda commercial parody help make this episode one to remember? --------...

Buck Henry becomes the first member of the yet-to-be-coined Five Timers Club as he returns once again to host this week's Saturday Night Live .  Season 1 favorite Leon Redbone is also back as the musical guest. It is a bit of an odd episode as much of it is dedicated to introducing viewers to, and getting them familiar with, the five finalists for the "Anyone Can Host" contest. The...

Music legend Ray Charles pulls double duty this week hosting AND performing (a lot) on this episode of Saturday Night Live .  Not only does Charles sing some of his classic hits, but also does an admirable job in the sketches in which he is a part of. Special Guest, Franklyn Ajaye , performs a stand up set and BOTH spend more time on their feet than Broderick Crawford.  So there's that.  ----...

A classic, perhaps ALL-TIME, episode of Saturday Night Live with host Charles Grodin, who didn't know there would actually be an audience (or...that the show was live)! Grodin brings his own unique humor and sensibilities to this episode that is also packed with some all-time classic sketches - many with recurring characters and the introduction of a couple of the most famous ones. Don't...

Once again, Saturday Night Live puts the show in the hands of a host not known for their comedic chops. Hugh Hefner (in pajamas and w/ pipe) not only hosts the show this week, but his presence is felt throughout as the show leans VERY heavily into the fact that Hef is Hef.  There are some stand out performances by Laraine and Bill in this episode as they do wonderful impressions of some classic fi...

Madeline Kahn is BACK!!! The host of one of the best episodes of season 1 returns! Can she make this episode as wonderful as her last? Will she sing? Will she do anything other than sing? In many ways this episode is very hit or miss, except when it comes to Taj Mahal ! His performance (sadly...only one) is ON POINT!!! --------------------------------- Subscribe & Follow today! And follow us o...

Saturday Night Live is back!!! Is there a better way to kick of the new season than having Steve Martin as the host? We think not. Season 3 brings with it a larger budget which in turn means higher production value: better costumes, better sets, & extras in scenes NOT played by the writing staff.  It's a whole new look for the show as it vaults into the mainstream consciousness. We see th...

Do you think you have what it takes to host "The Not Ready for Prime Time Podcast?" Listen to find out how to enter for your chance to host an episode this upcoming season! --------------------------------- Subscribe & Follow today! And follow us on social media:  Twitter: @NR4PTProject  Instagram: @nr4ptproject Bluesky : @nr4ptproject.bsky.social Facebook: The Not Ready for Prime Ti...

Is there a better way to celebrate Mardi Gras than staging a live television special from a number of different locations throughout New Orleans after the sun goes down? We didn't think so either.  And then we saw what can happen when you do just that.  Chaos.  Simply said...chaos. Maybe there is a reason this is the ONLY time SNL has gone live on location for an entire episode. With guest st...

Season 2 of Saturday Night Live has come to a close! There's a lot to discuss about this season as a whole, and Brad and Gary do their best to get to it all. Best Hosts, Best Characters, Best Musical Guests, and of course...Best Bits! --------------------------------- Subscribe & Follow today! And follow us on social media:  Twitter: @NR4PTProject  Instagram: @nr4ptproject Bluesky : @nr4p...

It's the end of the season, but the beginning of the tradition of having Buck Henry host the season finale of SNL!  It is a monumental episode in the history of the show and we see many of our favorites return such as The Coneheads , Emily Litella, and (of course with Buck hosting) The Samurai ! There's a lot to talk about, including a breakthrough sketch for Bill Murray ! So, to make su...

Who was this week's host of Saturday Night ? a) supporting actress with bit part in latest Woody Allen movie b) yet another person from Robert Altman's "Nashville" c) Paul Simon's girlfriend d) all of the above If you answered "d" you would be correct! Shelley Duvall , who's popularity in the spring of 1977 we're still working out, does her best to matc...

Eric Idle uses his return to hosting Saturday Night to turn the show into a telethon to "Save Great Britain" (complete with the Queen herself). The episode is VERY Idle-influenced.  There are no Coneheads or Samurai, but we do get a Sherry appearance, a lot of British-style comedy, and some interesting musical numbers from Neil Innes. Unfortunately, we also get a couple of performances f...

Elliott Gould is BACK!  And it SHOULD be a great episode.  The debut of Nick the Lounge Singer, an AMAZING piece of physical comedy from Gilda, and...wait for it...they DROP THE COW!!  If that wasn't enough, Elliott (as he is want to do) kicks things off with a song and dance number.  And yet...something is just not right. The two musical acts probably don't help. One is Elliott Gould&ap...

Georgia State Senator Julian Bond hosts this episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live. If you're not familiar with Julian Bond don't worry - he uses the entirety of the monologue to fill you in. Bond is a decent host (especially for a politician) who isn't afraid to take part in everything this weird and wild episode asks of him. He meets Jimmy Carter AND the Farbers.  And if that...

We're back!!  The one and only, JACK BURNS (!) is hosting this episode of NBC's Saturday Night... LIVE .  In addition to a name change,  we are also treated to worlds colliding as The Farbers meet The Coneheads, a very meta sketch that the whole casts gets in on, and a couple of quality musical numbers from Santana!  All of this after a monologue which made our guest on the podcast, the...

Hey everyone.  Sometimes life gets in the way.  That has happened to us.  We need to take a week or two off.  We explain it here.  We'll be back at it as soon as we can.  In the meantime, catch an old episode you may have skipped.  We'll be back in a week or two.  Sorry for the delay.   If you can...go leave a rating and review.  We'll try to live up to them. -----------------------...

Broderick Crawford hosts this week's episode of Saturday Night...Live and the addition of the "LIVE" was so much for Crawford that he fulfills most of his hosting duties from a plush armchair. This is an interesting episode of SNL (that's right, we can call it SNL now) because while the host doesn't play a big role in the episode, you do kind of fall in love with him. Or a...

Sissy Spacek, obviously known for her comedic chops, is this week's host of NBC’s Saturday Night. While nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Carrie, Spacek hosts a very…interesting episode.  Full of baton twirling (thanks, Gary Weis) and a next-level performance from Richard Baskin this episode is one to remember…we think, we can’t really remember.  Luckily, Seth Abramovitch, of The...

The one and only Steve Martin is back for his second time (this season) hosting Saturday Night !  Special guest Lily Tomlin drops by for two excellent segments (not that he needed the help) and British rockers, The Kinks perform a  showstopping greatest hits medley.  They are so good it might leave Brad to call them the Best Musical Guest in the show's brief history (condolences to The Band)....

"I'm going to....8H!"  Fresh off his most recent Super Bowl loss (his 3rd in last 4 seasons), Fran Tarkenton takes the stage as host of Saturday Night .  The show doesn't let the former NFL-MVP stray too far with a running football gag throughout the episode and Fran playing...well just different versions of Fran Tarkenton all night. Leo Sayers sings two songs (sadly dancing th...

Its Saturday Night! And nothing says "hip" and/or "edgy" in 1977 more than Ruth Gordon .  And, if that wasn't enough, she brought her good friend Chuck Berry with her (all the way from the 1950s!) .  Ageism aside, this turns out to be a rather enjoyable episode with many familiar faces (including Mr. Bill & Mr. Mike) and even some new ones!  To top things off, special...